The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid. Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes by Gilbert K. Chesterton More Quotes From Gilbert K. Chesterton As an explanation of the world materialism has a sort of insane simplicity. It has the quality of a madman's arguments; we have at once the sense of it covering everything and the sense of it leaving everything out. Gilbert K. Chesterton simplicityleavinginsane For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy. Gilbert K. Chesterton justicelovechildren Human anger is a higher thing than what is called divine discontent. For you must be angry with something; but you can be discontented with everything. Gilbert K. Chesterton discontentangerdivine To be wrong, and to be carefully wrong, that is the definition of decadence. Gilbert K. Chesterton decadencedefinitions The aesthete aims at harmony rather than beauty. If his hair does not match the mauve sunset against which he is standing, he hurriedly dyes his hair another shade of mauve. If his wife does not go with the wall-paper, he gets a divorce. Gilbert K. Chesterton divorcesunsetwall This is, first and last, the real value of Christmas; in so far as the mythology remains at all it is a kind of happy mythology. Personally, of course, I believe in Santa Claus; but it is the season of forgiveness, and I will forgive others for not doing so. Gilbert K. Chesterton forgivingrealbelieve The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad. Gilbert K. Chesterton songmenwar One elephant having a trunk was odd; but all elephants having trunks looked like a plot. Gilbert K. Chesterton plotelephantsodd [Fairy tales] make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water. Gilbert K. Chesterton wineriversrunning London is a riddle. Paris is an explanation. Gilbert K. Chesterton riddleparislondon You don't want to be so open minded that your brains fall out! Gilbert K. Chesterton wantbrainfall Youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world. But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged. Gilbert K. Chesterton live-lifeinspirationtime There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. Gilbert K. Chesterton carpe-diemhopegraduation An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered. Gilbert K. Chesterton inspirationallifetravel You can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution. Gilbert K. Chesterton democracies-havefreedomorder The present condition of fame is merely fashion. Gilbert K. Chesterton fashionliteraturefame There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person. Gilbert K. Chesterton artistic-temperamentearthinspirational Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame. Gilbert K. Chesterton beautifulbeautyart A puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things. Gilbert K. Chesterton puritanrighteouspersons Let a man walk ten miles steadily on a hot summer's day along a dusty English road, and he will soon discover why beer was invented. Gilbert K. Chesterton summerbeermen
